There has been stuff on the internet that Jim Harbaugh questioned the motives of anyone who disagreed with him about playing Aldon Smith last Sunday. I, of course, disagreed with him about playing Smith. Anyway, Harbaugh made his remarks this morning on radio. I listened to the broadcast and, as far as I could discern, he did not say what he’s reputed to have said. To the best of my hearing — not so good, by the way — he said he questions the motives of anyone who does not want a good outcome for Smith. That was a reasonable thing to say. Did you hear it the same way?

Bottom line, the team and/or JH were selfish in playing Smith on Sunday against the Colts. It was reported that JH said it was in the best interest of both Smith as well as the team for him to play rather than having him be escorted to rehab on Friday evening or Saturday.

How can delaying rehab be in the best interest of the player? Who baby sat him Friday and all day Saturday and Saturday night to make sure he stayed sober?

Did the Niners bring in local professional assistance to give Smith some preliminary counseling? The league can make a call and have a player in rehab in the matter of minutes rather than several days, so it is not like an immediate decision could not have been made.

In fact, I thought Smith’s performance for the most part, considering he played 67 snaps, really was not that dynamic, so what really was the benefit of him playing? He did not appear to be all that inspired and emotional about playing. With all that was on his mind and the weight of it, how could anybody expect him to have a stellar performance?

Who would not want a good outcome for Smith with rehab? For JH to make that statement, if that is what he really said and what he really meant, is ridiculous.

Sure,blame the public that doesn’t want to see Aldon Smith on the road. And he sidesteps the morals of playing somebody- a reward- for bad behavior. Common sense. And like I pointed out, Hue Jackson was ripped a new hole by the media over McClain,and Smith’s episode is the same story. Only most media fear Jim. Most,not all.
Btw Lowell,Chris Kluwe on KNBR put Krueger in place over Smith playing.
Kreuger,always wrong,guaranteed.

His actions have spoken quite clearly. I am impressed he, and the entire 49er front office, are willing to take the PR heat you folks are shoveling on them in order to take proper care of Aldon Smith first and foremost. It feels like many folks just want a “spoiled above the law athlete” to take one on the chin here. The law and the league are the enforcers of his stupid behavior. It continues to baffle me to read and hear so much anger and need for retribution about his playing a game that was legal for him to participate in and quite possibly the best thing for him.

I can only compare it to my situation in corporate America, not that I’ve ever had a DUI. If I’d been arrested for such a thing, my employer would want to know first and foremost how much time I was going to miss, if any, and do I have proper transportation for work. And that’s about it. I’m still having trouble understanding why so many folks vehemently think the man should have been symbolically punished in addition to what he’s already going to have to face personally and legally. And why is it surprising to anyone that the Niners would act in their own self interest? Amazing.

One more on Kreuger..two weeks ago,I meant to post then, He brought you up in some topic of how wrong it was for a ESPN personality to rip a unknown Yahoo writer. “Unlike me talking about Lowell Cohn who is established”.
See? He respects you before he paints you as an Ebenezzer of the press conferences.
That guy? how does he last?..lol..too much.

The issue at hand here is how the 49ers and all NFL teams paint themselves as a bastion of everything that is good and right in their respective communities.

They want every single person who can possibly support them, to want to do so. This creates more interest, and thereby more income for their franchise.

That is why they have a higher responsibility to discipline their employees when the employee do something wrong, and something that tarnishes the image of their franchise.

NFL teams aren’t like other business. No one outside of yours or my company cares if we get a DUI. But when an employee of the 49ers gets not only 1 DUI, but has 4 run-ins with the law over the course of 2+ seasons, it makes the 49ers look bad.

It looks terrible to be selling Aldon Smith jerseys to kids, and then sending the message to the kids that you can do whatever you want, and you won’t be punished.

In doing so, the 49ers look like an organization without discipline or rules for their employees. This tarnishes the image of the brand, and makes the men who run the franchise look hypocritical, disingenous, and only caring about money and winning.

Welcome to the new Victorian Age where everything is sanitized for your protection and you best not step out of line buddy. Let the dude friggin’ play. What’s the beef? Bunch of church ladies aorund here. He’s not gonna kill someone with a vehicle the 60 minutes he’ chasing a QB.

Mike – you say that the league could have Smith in rehab in a matter of minutes if they wanted. As Smith is an adult, only he can decide to go to rehab. The 49ers cannot put him in rehab, and the NFL cannot put him in rehab. Only he can put himself in rehab.

While I don’t agree with the decision to play him Sunday, making a brash Friday statement that he’s no longer a part of the team unless he goes to rehab would not be a smart way to handle the situation.

Joe “Willie” Namath. Remember him? In that special a year or so ago, some police official recalls Joe Willie walking out of a hotel with this buxum girl after drinking and carousing all night long. I think it was a championship game of some sort or another. Anyway, this guy bet the house against the Jets. And he lost his shirt, cause Joe Willie cruised to victory. This sort of thing has been going on for a long time. Not to say it’s right. it’s not. But it’s hardly something new.

Mark M – I get your point. I think some of us get angered by the way some of these young players jeapordize an oportunity that so many of us dreamed about having growing up and playing sports. Some of us were close but no cigar. Think about it. Pop Warner, then High School, then College…then there is interest from the pro’s, Knee injury…done. Need to get a job to support the familly and miss the window. I have little simpathy…and for some reason I feel a little guilty about that.

I don’t disagree with anything you say Randy M. Fair points across the board. I can only say that there is a threshold where the 49ers will not be able to afford keeping him around without affecting their bottom line/image in the manner you suggest. They have decided that threshold has not yet been reached. You either support the man completely, or you let him pursue his career elsewhere. I don’t see an in between here.

If you’re going to go the support route, you do what’s best for the individual. Without knowing him personally, it doesn’t surprise me at all that their decision to support him includes keeping him close amongst his peers and coaching staff for their support, letting him focus on his job, and then heading out to gain professional help. In fact, this seems a completely reasonable course of action to me.

Once they chose to support him, the question of what kind of business they run becomes moot. You just do what’s best for the man. I personally see that course of action to shine a positive light on the team and the way they handle their personnel, and not bowing to media or social pressure.

Also,Lowell,As somebody from the hood,I bet you Smith has shown up at 49er practice drunk,or impaired before. If he tried it Friday,it was because he had done it before.
The 49ers org isn’t kidding me.

I see the kook libertarians are posting. Sure, let him drive the school bus if he’s a pedo- Doesnt interfere with his ability to drive.
And the 49ers do have responsibility as they sell his gear– to kids.
He hit a tree at 7 am in a neighborhood. With people.

Wow,that he’s done it over and over,risking my and yours life..You don’t get it?.

Frankly, I don’t understand why Smith wasn’t banned from the Friday “practice”. Really, how can you have a .15 at 7:00 a.m. and show up any time in the same day without alcohol bal at a disabling amount? He must have been inebriated to some extent. Harbaugh allows this? Wrong message to the team.

Maybe the story should be alcohol and the NFL. Both teams in last years Super Bowl had players involved in alcohol related incidents that required police responses in the span of four days. As for us fans, one fan was allegedly drunk at a game and fell to their death walking in to the game; and a 15 year old was injured for attempting to urinate in to a vehicle last Sunday. (I don’t know what the 15 year old was on, but it doesn’t sound the act of a sober person).

Hillarious comment in response to blog from Eric Branch at SF Chron in which Lowell is mentioned. Commenter says that one day soon, we’ll find Harbaugh up in a clock tower somewhere with a sniper rifle reading “Catcher in the Rye.”
I.E. He doesn’t have the temperament (His brother John surely does), and some day he may just implode.

People just have to stop holding athletes and celebrities to higher standards simply because they are more famous and/or make more money than we do.
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A DUI is a DUI is a DUI.
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I don’t drink and drive…mostly because I don’t drink…but even if I DID do something that stupid and dangerous, aside from being against me driving myself there, who are any of you to say I can’t work the next day???
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Let the justice system do its job, will you?!
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That said, I hope Aldon never gets to drive again…EVER.
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*ALOHA*

Makes no sense. “Who’s to say I cant work the next day”. Sure,tell your boss your got a DUI? fat chance. And you know why.
He’s a football player in the public eye. I see a difference. Why don’t you?
Hey,and why doesn’t that Obama guy just go to the fleamarket without gov. agents all around? He puts his pants on one leg at time.

And one last comment for the night. As much as Harbaugh and Singletary have said they need to see the film? When will H-Man ever study a film of his presscons? And see why he comes off as intensely strange for somebody who hates the unusual. A suggestion.

You have just got to love it when Stan tells someone else they make no sense. I guess that is better than him calling everyone who disagrees with him a kook libertarian.

Anyway, why would someone not tell the boss is they got a DUI? It is a matter of public record. It usually is reported in the newspaper under public records. It isn’t a secret. I know of teachers and public workers who have had DUI’s and are still working. So what is your point, speaking of making sense?

Just when I thought the dumbness couldn’t get lower. “Why wouldn’t you tell your boss you got a DUI?”..and why would you if he never asked? Its not something you tell people to get ahead.
Why am I explaining that to adults? WHY???!

No kidding Dennis.
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I guess that means we’re ALL Libertarians here!
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Stan: You write that you see a difference because he happens to be a football player in the public eye and you ask me why I don’t see a difference.
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Isn’t everyone equal in the eyes of the law?
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Is Smith MORE guity because he’s a NFL player?
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Of course, the NFL, as an entity, has its own rules and codes of conduct and they punish their employees accordingly for wrongdoing on and off of the field.
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And the NFL is able to do that only because those employees agree to those rules when they join and are thus, bound by them.
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But our justice system is supposed to be blind and fair to all…including wealthy, famous, young football players in the public eye.
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*ALOHA*

I don’t even know what you and Dennis are supporting. That the 49ers were right to ignore drunk driving on the way to practice? That his history of criminal behavior is printed n newspapers?..and that should be ignored like it never happened?
wow. Talk about sports idolatry twisting peoples morals.

Come on man. Have you ever had a job? In this day and age everyone knows everything about everybody almost instantaneously. If you want to get ahead you had better tell the boss before the boss asks you about it. Because trust me, he is going to find out and it is better that he finds out from you.

Yeah Dennis,the arrests for DUI all across the country,stabbings,shootings and that tree with a dent- all never happened? And A DUI doesn’t affect employment for the average Joe, non Montana ? Is that what your saying? You guys are nuts.
The next time you guys post about what books you read? I’m going to take in account that you would have really enjoyed it more if you understood it.
Holy moly Lowell,you believe this?

Stan:
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Of course, I would never speak for Dennis–he expresses himself quite well if you ask me–but I’ll tell you what I”m supporting.
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Equality and simple fairness.
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By making an issue out of the fact that he’s in the public eye, your suggesting that he should be held to a higher standard and I’m saying he shouldn’t.
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Poor guys that nobody ever heard of get busted for the same offense every day.
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Do you think they deserve lighter sentences due to their unfortunate circumstances?
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I don’t.
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But then again, by your standards, it would be fair to do so, right?
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If rich and famous people deserve more criticism for their wrongdoing then poor and unknown people deserve less.
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See how stupid that sounds?
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And by the way, I didn’t read anything that stated he was on his way to practice when the accident happened.
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Or maybe you meant that he was still drunk after his arrest and release AND THEN he drove drunk to practice….which was in the afternoon.
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If that’s the case, SJPD has some explaining to do.
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*ALOHA*

He was ARRESTED ON A DUI..on Friday at 7am. And your all the types to rip the OJ jurors. Yeah,I know.
If Aldon drove to practice after that?– he’s f-ing insane and so is the 49er org as led by Jed and Jim. People drive drunk to their DUI court appearances Bob. No limit to stupidity.